Track is Back!

     My indoor racing season officially began last Saturday in Johnson City, Tennessee.  I traveled down to East Tennessee State University for the ETSU Invitational 3k and to help with the high school invitational that was taking place at the same site hosted by Knoxville Youth Athletics (KYA).  The high school meet was a huge success as several top 20 National marks were set by some of our areas' best young athletes, and I was able to win my season opener in a time of 8:11.  Big thanks to my good friend, Adam Freudenthal, who joined me for the 3k to help push the pace and set himself a new PR of 8:19.

     Our practices at KYA have been going extremely well, and I have really enjoyed getting to see our athletes make so much progress these first three weeks of winter training.  The KYA High School Indoor Classic was our first meet of the year for our high school athletes and our team will travel to Nashville, TN, next weekend for the Vanderbilt High School Invite.  KYA has been the catalyst for bringing high school indoor track to the state of Tennessee, and 2015 will be the first year for the Tennessee State High School Indoor Track and Field Championships in February.  I am so glad to see first-hand how proactive and progressive this organization has been at our local, state and national level.

Final 20 meters of 3k in Indiana. (P.C. Rich Anderson)

     This week was a big test for me as I prepared for my first competitive race of the year.  I traveled to Bloomington, Indiana, for a 3k and mile at the Gladstein Invitational at Indiana University.  I lived in Bloomington for 8 months in 2012 when I trained with Team Indiana Elite and have really missed this town.  A huge reason Bloomington has a special place in my heart is because of the Bohn family I met through my church who so graciously hosts me and loves me like one of their own children!  On to the RACE…!!! A pacer and competitive field were assembled for the 3k, and my goal was to win and run a qualifying time of 8:00.00 to punch my ticket to the USA Indoor National Championships in February.  The track at Indiana University is a supreme 200m banked track that felt literally like heaven to run on.  The pacer took the field through one mile in 4:19 and I was able to fight to the finish for the win in a time of 8:00.85—just missing the qualifying time.  15 minutes later I came back to run the mile for a workout in 4:13 and couldn’t be happier with my performance in these two races.  My fitness is there, and I gained the confidence (that was missing) I needed to perform in two huge upcoming races--so STAY TUNED!  I am so thankful for the opportunity to compete and am so hungry to get back out on the track!  Onwards and Upwards!!

Bloomington Friends post intense game of "Catch Phrase".

My Bloomington Mom (Jenni) and I engaging in post race dialogue at Steak and Shake.

Inspiration

             As 2015 begins, I cannot help but look back and be inspired by the year 2014.  Although my indoor and outdoor track season expectations were not met, so many life-changing events occurred despite my struggles on the track.  Life is such a journey.  I am so thankful that God has led me on this path in this direction with such amazing support.  Striving to become an Olympian is my dream and just like with life—impossible to take on alone.

2014 was a year that left me dumbfounded in lieu of all the positive opportunities I was presented.  I was on the cover of the nations’ two premier running magazines--Running Times and Runner’s World; I was able to travel to Europe for the second time thanks to Brooks Running; and I am financially stable and enjoying life more than ever working with Knoxville Youth--thanks to In the Arena.  I was able to acquire several unbelievable new sponsorships with Generation UCAN, Balega socks, Endeavor, EC3D compression and received multiple gifts from Timex--all of which happened because of my friendship with Meredith Dolhare (get to know her in a future blog). AND I sleep at altitude each night thanks to Hypoxico.  My support team is stronger than ever here in Knoxville thanks to my physical therapist, Justin Brillante at Drayer PT (thank you Meredith for the connection), my chiropractor Dr. Murray McKinnon at McKinnon Chiropractic (thank you Meredith for the connection) and my sports physician Dr. Kevin Sprouse at Provision Sports Medicine.  I have been so lucky to have relationships with these amazing men and will never be able to repay them for their professional and personal support. THANK YOU!

I have already mentioned my two coaches, Ruud Van Thienen and Greg Adamson, in previous posts, but I must thank them again.  Last week was a huge milestone for me as I raced the Main Street Crit 8k road race in Columbia, SC.  I ran a PR of 23:35 and couldn’t be happier with where my training has taken me as my refocus and reboot began just 24 weeks ago in late August.  I am the luckiest athlete in the world as my coaches not only know how to prepare me to be the highest level athlete I can be, but I am a better person because I know each of them.

Lastly, perhaps my biggest inspiration of the year which has already carried over into 2015 has been working with Knoxville Youth Athletics.  You see for me Rock Hill, SC, was home.  I loved my job. I loved my friends. I loved the community in which I lived and served for over 7 years.  I trained here and my running career was ultimately changed forever by moving to this town.  I was skeptical and truthfully fearful that I wouldn’t be able to feel the way I felt about Rock Hill anywhere else.  However, working with these youth, coaches and parents has helped make my move to Knoxville so sweet.  Knoxville does feel like home now, and I find so much joy and excitement knowing that practice has started once again with our Indoor Track Program.  However, our competitions will be the only thing happening indoors until March—we practice OUTDOORS.  And yes, every Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Thursday all of our sprinters, jumpers, throwers and distance runners with not only be battling the grueling training of track and field, but also the worst of the winter elements.  These 6-18 year-old athletes are practicing from 6-7:30pm in the dark, in the cold, and loving every minute of it (maybe not every minute…but most of it)! Watching our athletes give their all in sub-freezing temperatures in the dark has inspired me and helped me realize that no matter what distractions we have in life—if you love something so much—nothing can stop you from reaching your goals.  I am blessed to be a part of Knoxville Youth Athletics, and say thank you to In the Arena and each of our partners for helping me find a home.  Onwards and Upwards to 2015!